The Fourth Apprentice/Chapter 15
Chapter description :Dovepaw wakes in a panic upon realizing that she is not in the apprentices' den. She quickly stands and realizes that she is in the den that the other cats had built the night prior. Lionblaze, being the only one awake, greets his apprentice by telling her that he took her watch shift. Dovepaw, visibly frustrated, tells her mentor that he doesn't have to treat her like a kit. :Moments later, Sedgewhisker wakes. Dovepaw asks about the warrior's shoulder, to which she replies that it is doing fine. The other cats soon rise to their paws, and Toadfoot implies that the group should get to hunting. They separate, and Dovepaw uses her senses to locate a squirrel. She successfully kills it, hoping to make up for her measly hunt the previous day. The cats reconvene with various pieces of prey and settle down to eat. :Rippletail and Petalfur draw away from the group, saying that they didn't catch anything so they could not eat. Whitetail and Lionblaze both reassure the RiverClan warriors that they are to work together, and share their catches. :After eating, Toadfoot leads them through the bed of the stream. Dovepaw, suddenly overcome with doubt of her abilities, uses her senses to travel far down the stream towards the blockage. She sees the brown animals looming over piles of tree trunks. The apprentice is brought back by Petalfur asking if she is alright. With a new sense of reassurance, Dovepaw pads forward along with her patrol. They come across a pool of water, which excites the RiverClan cats upon sensing fish. Petalfur and Rippletail go to the pool and successfully catch one fish. They excitedly beckon the rest of the group to try it, to which the WindClan warriors decline. The others try a few bites, and Dovepaw internally decides to stick to mice and squirrels. :Farther up the stream, Toadfoot quickly orders the patrol to get onto the bank. The cats follow his orders and then see a dead deer laying in the stream. The patrol pad around the carcass, eventually maneuvering back into the stream once passing. Dovepaw is discouraged by having not scented the deer before Toadfoot, and wonders what else she has missed due to not being on the highest alert. Further along, the patrol see sheep grazing in a field. :Suddenly, the yapping of a dog is heard behind the patrol. Toadfood yowls for them to run. The dog chases after the cats, and Whitetail instructs for them to head towards the sheep. The cats dive into the gathering of nearby sheep, who were uttering fearful noises towards the dog. The sheep move away collectively, and the cats follow, which causes Dovepaw to lose sight of the others. The sheep begin to slow down after the dog trails away, and the cats emerge from the flock. Whitetail calls for them to go towards the hedge, giving them a safe space to recollect themselves. :A monster races past the group, startling Dovepaw. Lionblaze advises that they cross the Thunderpath while it's quiet. Once across, Toadfoot locates a hole in the nearby fence to wriggle through. The cats reach a field with Twoleg nests behind it. Dovepaw then realizes that the stream is nowhere in sight. Characters Major }} Minor *Whitetail *Sedgewhisker *Toadfoot *Tigerheart *Rippletail *Petalfur }} Mentioned }} Notes and references Category:The Fourth Apprentice Category:Chapter subpages Category:Omen of the Stars arc